Cover fastening flexible lug assembly for drums



covER FASTENING FLEXIBLE LUG ASSEMBLY FOR DRUMS Filed oct. 8. 1962 July 6, 1965 c. A. uNcAPHER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R m m M C'Hmauas AUNCAPHER 1F16. 5 T16. 4 BY covER EASTENING FLEXIBLE ,LUG ASSEMBLY FOR DRUMS Filed oct. 8. 1962 July 6, 1965 c. A. uNcAPHr-:R

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CHEQUES UMCAPHEL M ATTORNEYS /MV m.

United States Patent O COVER FASTENING FLEXIBLE LUG ASSEMBLY FOR DRUMS Charles A. Uncapher, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 8, 1962, SenNo. 228,904

Claims. (Cl. 229-47) This invention relates to an improved container, cover and fastening lug assembly and, in particular, to an improved fastening lug assembly providing a novel relationship between the cover and the container when lthe cover is either loosely mounted upon or securely fastened to the container. y

An object of this invention is to provide an improved fastening lug assembly constructed to facilitate engagement and disengagementv thereof with a container cover.

Another object of this invention is the construction of a fastening lug assembly which is contoured to the configuration of an associated cover.

` Afurther object of .the invention is the formation of a resilient fastening lug assembly having a spring-type pilot flange adaptedv to snap over the cover when the cover is placed upon the container, or in the event no cover is provided with the container, to overlie the upper edge of the container.

Another object of the invention is the provision of aresilient fastening lug assembly made from a single elongated piece of sheet material having a slot in an' intermediate por-tion thereof which performs the dual flinction of providing a Vflexible hinge zone whereby the fastener lug assembly may be used with covers of various depths and peripheral curl configurations; the slot also providing a recess for the reception'of a tool to securely position the cover upon the container.

Still another object -of this invention is the relative dimensioning of the slot and a cover skirt to provide a fulcrum point whereby a tool may be used as a lever of the first class to enable an incompletely seated cover to be completely seated on the containersimultaneously with the fasten-ing of the cover upon the container.

Another object of the invention is to secure the fastening lug assembly .to the container by a plurality of struckout, deformable fangs, the majority of which are deformed in a direction to counteract the force created by a tool when the cover is being secured upon the container.

A further object of the invention is to contour the fastening lug assembly to the configuration of the container |body to prevent damage, distortion or loss'of the fastening lug assembly when the container is shipped without Va cover.

Another object of the invention is the configuration of the container cover to prevent damage, distortionI or loss of the fastening lug assembly when the container is shipped with a cover temporarily seated thereon.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel method of simultaneously seating an unseated cover upon a container and automatically locking the seated cover in place.

With the above, and other objects in view that will here inafter appear, the nature of Ithe invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l' is a fragmentary top perspective view of a container, a cover; and' a plurality 'of fastening lug assemblies in accordance with this invention, and' shows the cover secured to the container by a pluralityiof the fastening lug assemblies.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary enlarged l.cross-sectional 3,193,178 Patented July 6, 1965 view of t-he container, cover and one of the fastening lug assemblies taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 and illustrates the relationship between the various components in accordance with one form of the invention.

' FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective elevational view of one -of the fastening lug assemblies illustrated in FIG- URES 1 and 2 prior to the attachment of the fastening lug assembly to a container.

' FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the container, cover and fastening lug assembly of FIGURES l and 2, illustrating the cover temporarily positioned atop both the container and the fastening lug assembly.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along 5-5 of FIGURE 4 showing the cover temporarily seated upon the container; the cover being contoured to the configuration of `an upper portion of the fastening lug assembly to prevent damage to the fastening lug assembly upon lshipmentof the container.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sec-tional view of a container, a cover and fastening lug assembly f similar to that illustrated in yFIGURE 2 but showing a modified form of cover and'fastening lug assembly, the fastening lug assembly-securing the cover upon the container.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectionalV view of a container, a cover, and a fastening lug assembly `similar to that illustrated in FIGURES l and 2, but showing an alternative cover, unseated with respect to the container, and a tool in position preparatory to its use for fastening the cover thereto.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to FIGURE 7 and illustrates the cover completely seated upon the container and in phantom lines, the tool positioned preparatory to crimping a portion of the fastening lug assembly to the configuration of the cover.

FIGURE 9 isan enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view illustrating Ithe structure of kFIGURES 7 and 8 in the yfinal assembled form.

This invention is particularly suited for use with containers such as fiber drums which are used to transport both bulk and viscous material. Such fiber drums are usually shipped to the packer with the covers removed or only temporarily secured thereto. In either case, upon lling the drums `or containers with the particular fill involved, the covers are placed up-on and secured to the containers by a plurality of fastening lug assemblies.

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIGURES l'and 2 illustrate a container or liber drum 10 having a container body 11. The container body 1,1 include-s inner and outer peripheral wall surfaces, 12 and 13, respectively, and an upper edge 14. f

A cover 15 is seated upon theupper edge 14 of the container body 11. While different 4types of covers may simultaneouslyseating the cover upon the container and be used in the practice of -this invention, cover 15 is pro- 17 is in lsubstantially the same horizontal plane as the upper edge 14 of the container body 11. The upwardly sloping` portion of the snap-flange shoulder 17 is joined to a cover bead 20 which seats upon the'container upper edge 1-4. A cover rim or skirt y21 is integrally connected to the bead 20 'and depends peripherally downwardly vto therefrom in partial -abutting relationship with the external container wall surface 13. The lowermost portion of the rim 0r skirt 21 terminates in an external curl 22;

Av fastening `lug assembly, prior toA attachment to thecontainer 10, is best illustrated in FIGURE 3 and is genarcuate walls 41and 42. L

The .top pilot -ange porti=on 27flof the fastening lug aslerally designated by the numeral l23. The fastening lug.i

assembly 23 consists of anV elongated `flexible sheet ma-Y has 'a bead 60, a r-imor skirt61Y nd a peripheral curl 62.

terial body 24. The fastening lug assembly body 24 comprises three-basic'portions; a bottom containerattacvhed portionZS, an intermediate lhinge zone portion 26a-nd a top pilot ilange portion 27. Y 'A The bottom container-attached portion includes. a

pair of .identical rounded corners45. Three triangular Y shaped tangsZS, .29.and 30 are struck out in longitudinal alignment 4along the central axis of the 'sheet material body 24, creating a plurality of ,respective apertures 3 1,y 32 and33. The tangs28 and 30 are bent upwardly while the tang 29r is bent downwardly y(see FIGURE 2),' but all three of the' above-mentioned tangs arev struckpfrorn the body 24 in =a direction normal to ,the'longitudinal extent of the sheet metal body 24. Ends `34, 35 and 36 of the respective tangs 2829 and 30 are poin-ted tofacilitate piercing vof the container body 11 and upon/subsequent deformation (see FIGURE 2), positively secnrethe fas tening 'lug assembly 23 uponlthecontainerl The intermedi-ate hinge zone portlon 26 is weakened by the provision of an elongated,'longitudinally extend ing slot 37, bounded by -a pair of longitudinally extending side walls 38`and 40and a pair of upper and lower'transverse, arcuate walls 741an'd 4-2, respectively. -The upper More often thanfnot, when a cover is initially placed jupon av container, it .is not completely seated upon the VcontainerV upper edge. f This -condition appears in FIG- URE 7 w-hereintheunseateclY cover bead 60v is illustrated in vertically spaced'r relation to the'upper edge 14 of the container I10; To assure Ithe effective closure of the vunseat'edcover 55,- the slot 37 of thefastening lugassembly 23V has ybeen novelly created .to cooperate-with theoover curl y62 to assure the s'imultaneousseatin'g and Isecuring of the cover'55 upon .thercontainer 10.

As the cover` 55 descends/along they externalwall 13 *Y of theA .container 10, the. curl .62 hinges, deforms or bends .the'fastening lug assembly 23 outwardlyat the intermediate hinge zone portion 256, defined by the longitudinal extent of the;=slot,37', to, create fa tool receiving recess 63. A tool 64, which may be a screwdriver or the like, is inserted through the vupper portion Yof the slot 37 into the tool ref lceiving yrecess v63 .and contacts-"'the cover .5 5 at the juncarcuatewall411includesanouter arcuate tool bearing y edge 43 (see FIGURE 2.), fora purpose -tobe hereinafter disclosed. At each side of -the'elongated slot 3,7 there vis;r

an integra-l` hinge or ribstrip `44.` .The hinge strips 44jt constitute a variable hinge zone areardened; or limited; in ,longitudinal extent bythe upper and'lower arcuate' walls 41 'and 4 2, respectively. v.That is,,the hingestrips.

ture of the rim or skirt 61 and-*the edge of lthe curl 62. Upon pivotingn the tool 64 inIthe direction of the arrow in FIGUREj, a lever'. ofthe first class isfcreated, the fulcrum oflwhich is at. the tool bearing edge 43y of the slot' y37.V YBypivoting the tool fromthe positionv illustrated ..25

inFIGUREJl tothe position shown in FIGURE 8, the cover 55 is se-atedrupon-thecontainer upper edge 14 and is simultaneously secured. theretobythe bead receiving Vch-afrlnel 50` snappingyoverzthe.` cover bead 60 (FIG- URE-8) n Also, the; upwardly deformed tangs 29. (FIG- URE 2) and 30 provide maximum counteracting force ,tothe forcejcreated by the, pivoting tool 64`fand lthe tendency of the fastening lug assembly 23 vtopull away 44 may readilybe transversely bent, deformed or hinged l at. any ,point alongtheir longitudinalzextent betweeri. .the

from gthe; container-,body 10 is'Y prevented.

Once vthe :,containerltl,l cover 55,;` and fastening .lug

assembly 23- are in the positionyillustrated in FIGURE 8,

, the tool 64.. maybe withdrawn from thetool receiving portion 46, .a downwardly opening 'cover bead receiving channel47 Vand an upwardly. and outwardly llaredpilot .snap-flange. 48.v Y- As lis best illustrated in FIGURESA 1 and 2, an inner bead receiving channel surface 50` and aV pilot snap-flange surface 51 of the top pilot ilange portion 27 are contoured'to matingly seatupon the respectivey covery bead 20 and snapdflange receiving shoulder 17;

In use, a, plurality .of the fastening lugassemblies 23 are secured circumferentially about the` container -body' 11 f Iadjacent thejupper edge 14. The tang ends34, 35 and=36 Y are deformed to abut againstthe inner container wall 12 vand thus the entire fastening lug assemblies 23 are malin-rv tained in. abuttingV relations-hip to the outer,k container..`

wall13. I l

After lthe fastening lug assemblies 23 have been securedto the container 10, thecontainer may be shipped Yto a packer with the cover y15 either? removed or loosely' seated upon the container, as is bestillustrated in FIG-V URE 5. Due to the matingcontiguration between the is.illustrated in FIGURE 9.

recess 63. and positionedA againstl the pilot snap-ange 48,

' as is illustratedinphantom` lines in FIGURE 8, preparatory to crimping the pilot snap-flange 48 to the contour ofthe. cover 55. The' completely secured assembly -zTher steps employed in securing the. Vcomponents v.ile

Y lus'trated` in FIGURES 7Jthrroughr9in assembled relationL f ing shoulder' 66, a bead "67'and .afskirt or rim=68. The

cover 15 and the top pilot flange portion 27, eachfa'sten-V ing lug assembly 23V isv protected against damage, distortion or'loss. The cover*15,fillustrated'inQFIGYRES` 5 and 6, is loosely mounted onthe conta-inerbody 11 and overliesy theVV fastening lug assembly 23. Thefc'over curlf f 22 traverses the slot 37 substantiallyY mediallythereofpto reinforce the intermediate hinge zone portion 26, as well'y as the top pilot flange portion'27 should the container-be yabused during shipment. l n

To pack and close thercontainerV 10, the 'loosely mountf ed cover 15 illustrated in FIGURE 5 is removed, a dje-f sited4 ll placed in thecontainerfltland the' cover placed"v Y uponthe container between the fastening lugtltssemblie's` 23 and theouter container. wall 13. I z

FIGURES 7thro'ugh 9 illustrate the successive steps in= v Y permanently securing a container4 cover.A 551to the' 'conf-f tainer. The coverk 55 showninV FIGURES V7 through 91 isv a' variation Aof the cover 15' diiering only in the depth of.A a snap-flange' receiving shonlder 57.- .'lZhe-cover4 55- soY ' date the hem-.70.

skirt. or rimv 68 terminates fin an outwardly, upwardly directed hem l70r ofsub'stantiallength. A hem vshoulder 71 is disposed above the upper arcuatewall 41of'a fastening lugeassem'bly 72,`which is identical 'with the fastening lug assembly .-21. with ther exception that lthe pilot V'snap-flange' may befupturnedfabruptly as atx73. 4Even lthough the-.skirt or rim- 68'y terminates wellY above thek intermediate; hinge zone portion r2K6'thev hinge zone portion 26 still {readily hingesfbendslor.deforms to accommoff Thus, the fastening lug assembly of this invention may l be used with covers' having rims vor skirtsV of dilerent depths and' diverse peripheral curlcongurations. fastening lug assembly is not limited to a specific size orstyle of cover,l butmay beA employed, without modicationto secure'diverseexisting Acovers kand containersr Vin assembled'relationship.' Y n Whileva preferredform ofcontainer cover and fastening lug'asse'm'blyl and'fa Ipreferredy method of assembly j thesame disclosed-in 'detail hereinit is to be understoody Athat 'variations in the disclosure of these' method steps and-part arrangements may befprovided/withou't departing from the. scope ofthe invention and; defined inthe The I claim:

`l. A container, cover and fastening lug assembly wherein the cover is Secured to the container upper end and includes a bead and a downwardly directed rim terminating in a reinforced peripheral edge, said fastening lug including an elongated body having a bottom container attached portion, an intermediate hinge portion and a top lug portion, said intermediate hinge portion including an elongated weakened area defining an elongated hinge zone disposed between the bottom container attached portion and the top lug portion and within the confines of which the lug may be selectively hinged, whereby the top lug portion is seated upon the cover bead irrespective of the downwardly directed rim length v and the coniiguration of the peripheral edge, said elongated weakened area being an elongated slot of a length extending substantially -from the bottom container attaching portion to the top lug portion.

2. The container, cover and fastening lug assembly of claim i, wherein the slot is defined by a plurality of elongated spaced hinge strips.

3. The container, cover and fastening lag assembly of claim la, wherein the container cover and rim overlie the top lug portion of the fastening lug assembly to preclude damage, distortion or loss of the fastening lug assembly when the container is shipped with a cover temporarily thereon.

4. A fastening lug assembly comprising an elongated body having a bottom container attaching portion, an intermediate hinge portion and a top lug portion, Said intermediate hinge portion defining an elongated hinge zone disposed lengthwise of said fastening lug between the bottom container attaching portion and the top lug portion and Within the contines of which the lug may be selectively hinged at any one of a plurality of selected positions along the length of said hinge zone thereby adapting the fastening lug assembly for use with diverse covers and containers, said elongated hinge zone including a weakened area dened by an elongated slot of a length extending substantially from the bottom container attaching portion to the top lug portion.

5. The fastening lug assembly of claim 4, wherein the ot is defined by a plurality of elongated spaced hinge Reierences Cited by the Examiner UNTED STATES PATENTS 1,422,970 7/22 Hanford 53-363 2,097,717 ll/37 Berke 229-5.7 2,153,122 4/39 Powell 29-47 2,625,723 1/53 Bassett.

2,718,995 9/ 5 5 Carpenter 229-47 FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner.

GES-EGE O. RALSTON, Examiner. 

1. A CONTAINER COVER AND FASTENING LUG ASSEMBLY WHEREIN THE COVER IS SECURED TO THE CONTAINER UPPER END AND INCLUDES A BEAD AND A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED RIM TERMINATING IN A REINFORCED PERIPHERAL EDGE, SAID FASTENING LUG INCLUDING AN ELONGATED BODY HAVING A BOTTOM CONTAINER ATTACHED PORTION IN INTERMEDIATE HINGE PORTION AND A TOP LUG PORTION, SAID INTERMEIDATE HINGE PORTION INCLUDING AN ELONGATED WEAKENED AREA DEFINING AN ELONGATED HINGE ZONE DISPOSED BETWEEN THE BOTTOM CONTAINER ATTACHED PORTION AND THE TOP LUG PORTION AND WITHIN THE CONFINES OF WHICH THE LUG MAY BE SELECTIVELY HINGED, WHEREBY THE TOP LUG PORTION IS SEATED UPON THE COVER BEAD IRRESPECTIVE OF THE DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED RIM LENGTH AND THE CONFIGURATION OF THE PERIPHERAL EDGE, SAID ELONGATED WEAKENED AREA BEING AN ELONGATED SLOT OF A LENGTH EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY FROM THE BOTTOM CONTAINER ATTACHING PORTION OF THE TOP LUG PORTION. 